MONTREAL -- United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says it's a high priority to work with countries like Canada to stem the rise of radicalization and extremism.
Ban praised Montreal's preventative approach during a visit to an anti-radicalization centre Saturday morning.
"We are living in a world of peril because of the spread of radicalizalism, extremism and violent terrorism," he said, adding countries must also protect and promote human rights and dignity while working to counter terrorism.
Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre says the city offers a model for combating radicalization that is unique in the world.
"We think if you want to fight against violence and radicalization you should put forward a strategy on prevention," he said.
The centre's helpline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Since opening last year, it has received 600 calls and has intervened in 140 cases, nine of which were transferred to police.
“We get a lot of calls from concerned family members, we also get calls from school teachers, coaches, it's really wide the population in general calls us, we also get calls from police officers,” said spokesperson Meriem Rebbani-Gosselin.
Ban is wrapping up a three-day visit to Canada that included meetings with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard.
On Friday, Couillard announced the province would allocate $500,000 to collaborate with the UN to host an anti-radicalization conference later this year.
-- with files from CTV Montreal
